JP2002128309A - Sheet unit guide mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent generation of damage or the like to a sheet unit and make it smoothly conveyable by a simple constitution. SOLUTION: A guide roller 38 is provided with a hollow roller 44 and a cloth member 46 cylindrically woven to be additionally sheathed in an adhesive condition in an external peripheral surface of the hollow roller 44. This cloth member 46 is fixed to the hollow roller 44 under press fit action of retaining members 50a, 50b in condition that both end faces 48a, 48b are received in an axial end of the hollow roller 44.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet guide mechanism having a guide roller for guiding a conveyed sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, stimulable phosphors (stimulable phosphors)
There is known a system that once records radiation image information of a subject such as a human body, reproduces the radiation image information on a photographic photosensitive material such as a photographic film, or outputs a visible image on a CRT or the like. I have.

The stimulable phosphor is composed of radiation (X-ray, α-ray, γ
(Rays, electron beams, ultraviolet rays, etc.), a part of this radiation energy is accumulated, and after irradiation with excitation light such as visible light, a phosphor that emits stimulated emission according to the accumulated energy is referred to. This stimulable phosphor is usually formed into a sheet and used as a stimulable phosphor sheet (sheet body).

The above system includes, for example, a reading section for reading image information recorded on the stimulable phosphor sheet, and an erasing section for erasing image information remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet after the reading process. Image information reading device is employed. In this image information reading apparatus, a cassette accommodating a stimulable phosphor sheet on which radiation image information of a subject is recorded by an external photographing device is inserted into a loading section.

[0005] Next, with the cassette opened, the stimulable phosphor sheet is taken out of the cassette under the action of the sheet body sheet mechanism, and the stimulable phosphor sheet is read via the sheet body transport mechanism. Transported to the department. The stimulable phosphor sheet on which the reading section has performed the reading processing of the radiation image information is stored in a cassette disposed in the loading section after the erasing section performs the erasing processing of the afterimage.

In recent years, it has been desired to efficiently read the energy stored in the stimulable phosphor sheet in order to reproduce the radiation image information of the subject with high image quality, such as in mammography. Therefore, a device for making the base surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet transparent has been devised. In this kind of stimulable phosphor sheet, when excitation light is irradiated from the phosphor layer (recording surface) side, in addition to the phosphor layer side, the base surface side (back surface side)
This emits stimulating light, which constitutes a double-sided reading type stimulable phosphor sheet.

[0007]

By the way, in the sheet conveying mechanism, in order to smoothly guide the stimulable phosphor sheet along a turn (curved) conveying path, a member for preventing the stimulable phosphor sheet from lifting up. As a roller. At this time, the roller has a buffer member attached thereto corresponding to the back surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet or the portion where the recording surface is in sliding contact, and prevents the back surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet or the recording surface from being damaged. It is configured to be.

However, this kind of cushioning member is bonded to the roller via an adhesive tape or the like. For this reason,
It becomes difficult to adhere the cushioning member smoothly over the entire surface of the roller, and in order to achieve smoothness, the removal process and the adhesion process of the cushioning member must be repeatedly performed. It is pointed out that the problem is complicated.

The present invention solves this kind of problem, and does not cause damage to the sheet member, and conveys the sheet member smoothly and reliably along a desired conveying path with a simple structure. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet guide mechanism capable of performing the following.

[0010]

In a sheet body guide mechanism according to the present invention, a guide roller for guiding a sheet body externally presses a cloth member woven in a cylindrical shape on the outer peripheral surface of a roller core material in a pressed state. It is configured. For this reason, there is no need to adhere the cloth member to the outer peripheral surface of the roller core with an adhesive tape or the like, and the workability of assembling the guide roller is effectively improved. In addition, since the cloth member is woven into a tubular shape, there is no joint at the outer periphery of the cloth member. This makes it possible to reliably prevent the sheet from being damaged by the joint.

Further, by attaching a pressing member to the end of the roller core, the end face of the cloth member is accommodated and fixed to the shaft end of the roller core. For this reason, the end face of the cloth member does not come into sliding contact with the sheet body, and it is possible to prevent the looseness or the like from occurring from this end face.

Further, the roller core is a hollow roller, and the hollow roller is rotatably supported by a shaft member via a bearing. Therefore, the cloth member does not slide on the sheet member, and even if foreign matter such as dust adheres to the cloth member, it is possible to effectively prevent the sheet member from being damaged by rubbing. .

[0013]

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural explanatory view of an image information reading apparatus 10 incorporating a sheet body guide mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A cassette 14 accommodating a stimulable phosphor sheet S, which is a sheet-like recording medium on which radiation image information of a subject has been once recorded, is loaded into an apparatus main body 12 constituting the image information reading apparatus 10. Cassette loading section 16
A reading unit 18 that irradiates the stimulable phosphor sheet S, on which the radiation image information is recorded, with a laser beam L as excitation light to read the radiation image information photoelectrically; An erasing unit 20 for erasing radiation image information remaining on the body sheet S;
8 and the sheet guide mechanism 21 according to the present embodiment, which is disposed before and after the sheet 8.

The cassette 14 has a housing 22 for accommodating the stimulable phosphor sheet S, and an openable / closable end of the housing 22 for taking out and inserting the stimulable phosphor sheet S. And a lid 24 to be mounted. The cassette loading unit 16 inserts the cassette 14 in a horizontal posture, and also includes a cover opening / closing means (not shown) for opening and closing the cover 24, and sucks and holds the stimulable phosphor sheet S from the cassette 14, takes out the stimulable phosphor sheet S from the cassette 14, and performs reading and reading. A sheet feeding means 28 having an adsorption plate 26 for feeding the stimulable phosphor sheet S after the erasing process to the cassette 14;

Downstream of the single-wafer means 28, a reciprocating transport system 30
The erasing unit 20 and the reading unit 18 are provided via the. The reciprocating transport system 30 includes a plurality of paired roller pairs 32, and the erasing unit 20 is disposed in a vertical transport path formed by the roller pairs 32.
The reading unit 18 is disposed above the horizontal transport path constituted by the image forming apparatus, and the width shifting unit 33 and the sheet body guide mechanism 21 are provided near the boundary between the vertical transport path and the horizontal transport path.
Are arranged. The erasing unit 20 includes a plurality of erasing light sources 34 extending in the horizontal direction. The erasing light source 3
4 may be composed of one piece, or may be arranged to extend in the vertical direction.

The width shifter 33 includes a pair of rollers 36a, 36b for temporarily holding the leading end of the stimulable phosphor sheet S in the transport direction.
And pressing means (not shown) for moving the stimulable phosphor sheet S in a direction intersecting the transport direction to position the stimulable phosphor sheet S in the width direction.

The sheet guide mechanism 21 includes a guide roller 38 as shown in FIGS.
The guide roller 38 is formed of a metal hollow roller (roller core) 44 rotatably supported by a shaft member 40 via bearings 42 a and 42 b, and is woven in a cylindrical shape and is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the hollow roller 44. A cloth member 46 packaged in a crimped state, and end faces 48a, 4
In order to accommodate and fix the 8b side to the shaft end side of the hollow roller 44, there are provided pressing members 50a and 50b mounted on the shaft end of the hollow roller 44.

The cloth member 46 is formed by weaving a fibrous material that does not damage the stimulable phosphor sheet S, for example, a nylon filament into a tubular shape. Specifically, as the cloth member 46, for example, a pipe knit “FJ20PIP” manufactured by Nakamura Textile is used.

The cloth member 46 has elasticity, the inner diameter is set smaller than the outer diameter of the hollow roller 44, and the axial length is set longer than the hollow roller 44. In some cases, the inner diameter may be equal to or larger than the outer diameter of the hollow roller 44. In any case, when the cloth member 46 is covered with the hollow roller 44, the cloth member 46 is held in a state of being pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the hollow roller 44.

The end surfaces 48a and 48b of the cloth member 46 are prevented from being unraveled by heat pressing.
As a result, the end surfaces 48a and 48b
Is thicker than the thickness of the other parts.

The holding members 50a and 50b are provided with large diameter portions 54a and 54b and small diameter portions 56a and 56b coaxially and integrally from ends of the flange portions 52a and 52b. The small-diameter portions 56a, 56b press the thick end surfaces 48a, 48b of the cloth member 46, and the large-diameter portions 54a,
54b presses the other part of the cloth member 46, and the pressing members 50a and 50b are pressed into both shaft ends of the hollow roller 44. The E-ring 5 is provided on the shaft member 40 via spacers 58a and 58b located outside the holding members 50a and 50b.
9a and 59b are mounted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the reading section 18 is conveyed by a sub-scanning conveyance mechanism 60 for reciprocating the stimulable phosphor sheet S in the horizontal direction (arrow X direction) and sub-scanning in the arrow X1 direction. A laser beam irradiating mechanism 62 for irradiating the stimulable phosphor sheet S with a laser beam L as a scanning light in a substantially vertically downward direction (arrow Y direction) to perform main scanning, and a radiance emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet S A reading mechanism 64 that collects the emitted light and photoelectrically reads the radiation image information carried on the stimulable phosphor sheet S;

The laser beam irradiating mechanism 62 temporarily derives the laser beam L in the horizontal direction, and then bends it substantially vertically downward to irradiate the laser beam L onto the stimulable phosphor sheet S. Provided. In the vicinity of the irradiating position of the stimulable phosphor sheet S with the laser light L, a condensing guide 68 and a reflecting mirror 70 for condensing stimulated emission light emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet S by the irradiation of the laser light L. Is arranged. A photomultiplier 72 is connected to the light-collecting guide 68 to form a reading mechanism 64.

The sub-scanning transport mechanism 60 includes a first and a second transport roller pair 74 for sandwiching the stimulable phosphor sheet S and transporting the stimulable phosphor sheet S in the arrow X1 direction (sub-scanning direction) and the arrow X2 direction.
76 is provided.

Next, the operation of the image information reading apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described in relation to the sheet guide mechanism 21 according to the present embodiment.

First, the cassette 14 is mounted on the cassette loading section 16 provided on the upper portion of the apparatus main body 12 so as to be oriented in the horizontal direction. The cassette 14 accommodates a stimulable phosphor sheet S in which radiation image information of a subject (not shown) is recorded in advance, and under the action of a cover opening / closing means (not shown) provided in the cassette loading section 16. , Lid 24
Is released.

Next, the sheet feeding means 28 is driven to move the suction disk 26 into the cassette 14, and the suction surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet S in the cassette 14 is sucked and held by the suction disk 26. Is done. Further, the suction disk 26 moves from the cassette 14 to the reciprocating transport system 30 side, and the stimulable phosphor sheet S in the cassette 14 is sucked by the suction disk 26 and taken out from the cassette 14. At about the same time that the leading end of the stimulable phosphor sheet S taken out of the cassette 14 is sandwiched by the pair of rollers 32, the suction and holding of the stimulable phosphor sheet S by the suction disk 26 is released.

As a result, the stimulable phosphor sheet S is conveyed vertically downward by the rotation of the plurality of roller pairs 32. This stimulable phosphor sheet S is
, And is disposed in the width shifter 33. After the stimulable phosphor sheet S is positioned in the width direction (the direction orthogonal to the transport direction) in the width shifter 33, the roller pair 3
6a and 36b are separated from each other, and the leading end of the stimulable phosphor sheet S constitutes the reading unit 18.
Sent to 0.

For this reason, the stimulable phosphor sheet S is the first phosphor sheet.
And an arrow X between the pair of second conveying rollers 74 and 76.
While being conveyed in the sub-scanning direction in one direction (horizontal direction), the laser light L is derived from the laser light irradiation mechanism 62. The laser light L once travels in the horizontal direction and then is directed substantially vertically downward (in the direction of the arrow Y) via the optical system 66, and is irradiated on the imaging surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet S to perform main scanning. . Irradiation of the laser beam L generates stimulating light from the imaging surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet S. Read.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the recording surface side of the stimulable phosphor sheet S is guided in contact with a guide roller 38 constituting the sheet body guide mechanism 21. As shown in FIG. 3, the guide roller 38 is provided with a cloth member 46 woven in a tubular shape on the outer peripheral surface of a hollow roller 44 made of metal in a compressed state. Then, the cloth member 46 comes into direct contact with the stimulable phosphor sheet S, and the hollow roller 44, on which the cloth member 46 is sheathed, moves along with the movement of the stimulable phosphor sheet S to the bearings 42a, 4b.
It rotates with respect to the shaft member 40 via 2b.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the cloth member 46 is used.
However, for example, it is constituted by weaving into a cylindrical shape using a nylon filament. Therefore, there is no joint at the outer peripheral portion of the cloth member 46, and it is possible to reliably prevent the recording surface of the stimulable phosphor sheet S from being damaged by the joint. .

Further, the cloth member 46 is mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the hollow roller 44 in a pressed state. Specifically, when the inner diameter of the cloth member 46 is set smaller than the outer diameter of the hollow roller 44, the hollow roller 44 is inserted into the cloth member 46.
, The cloth member 46 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the hollow roller 44. Then, the hollow roller 44
After pressing both ends of the cloth member 46 into the shaft end of the hollow roller 44, the pressing members 50a and 50b are pressed into the shaft end of the hollow roller 44. Thus, the end surfaces 48a and 48b of the cloth member 46 are accommodated and held in the shaft end of the hollow roller 44 via the pressing members 50a and 50b.

On the other hand, the inner diameter of the cloth member 46 is
When the outer diameter of the cloth member 46 is set to be equal to or larger than the outer diameter of the cloth member 46 and the axial length of the cloth member 46 is set to be equal to the axial length of the hollow roller 44, both end faces 48a and 48b of the cloth member 46 are forcibly pulled. The pressing members 50a and 50b are pressed into the shaft end of the hollow roller 44 while being pressed into the shaft end of the hollow roller 44. Therefore, the cloth member 46 is radially contracted by being pulled in the axial direction, so that the cloth member 46 is externally fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the hollow roller 44 in a pressed state.

Thus, in any of the above cases, it is not necessary to adhere the cloth member 46 to the outer peripheral surface of the hollow roller 44 with an adhesive tape or the like, and the workability of assembling the guide roller 38 is improved at a stroke. The effect is obtained.

In the guide roller 38, a hollow roller 44 is rotatably supported by a shaft member 40 via bearings 42a and 42b. For this reason, the cloth member 46
Even if foreign matter such as dust adheres to the stimulable phosphor sheet S, the cloth member 46 does not slide on the stimulable phosphor sheet S, thereby effectively damaging the recording surface (fluorescent surface) of the stimulable phosphor sheet S. It becomes possible to prevent.

Further, in this embodiment, the cloth member 46 is used.
Since the end surfaces 48a and 48b are accommodated and held in the shaft end of the hollow roller 44, the end surfaces 48a and 48b are not exposed to the outside and do not slide on the stimulable phosphor sheet S. Therefore, there is an advantage that the loosening of the fibers (nylon filaments) from the end faces 48a and 48b is prevented as much as possible.
Moreover, the end surfaces 48a, 48b are formed to be thick by heat press processing, and the pressing members 50a, 50b
Is press-fitted into the shaft end of the hollow roller 44, thereby having a reliable retaining function.

The pressing members 50a and 50b are not limited to those that are pressed into the shaft end of the hollow roller 44, but may be configured to be fixed to the shaft end using an adhesive, for example. .

The stimulable phosphor sheet S after the reading process
Is switched back by the sub-scanning transport mechanism 60, and is transferred from the sub-scanning transport mechanism 60 to the reciprocating transport system 30.
At that time, the stimulable phosphor sheet S is guided by a guide roller 38 constituting the sheet body guide mechanism 21. The operation of the guide roller 38 is the same as described above, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

On the other hand, the stimulable phosphor sheet S is transported vertically upward (in the direction of arrow A) via the reciprocating transport system 30.
It is sent to the erasing unit 20. The erasing section 20 erases the radiation image information remaining on the stimulable phosphor sheet S under the action of the erasing light source 34. After the stimulable phosphor sheet S after the erasing process is returned to the cassette 14, the lid 24 is closed, and the cassette 14 is taken out from the cassette loading unit 16, and is not shown in the stimulable phosphor sheet S. An imaging process of the radiation image information is performed.

In this embodiment, the sheet guide mechanism 21 is disposed near the width shifter 33 and on the downstream side of the reading unit 18.
The guide roller 38 can be disposed in the curved conveyance section that constitutes the above. In particular, when a double-sided reading stimulable phosphor sheet used for mammography or the like is used, the above-described sheet is provided at a necessary portion on the sheet conveyance path in order to prevent damage to both sides of the sheet. Body guide mechanism 2
1 is desirable.

The guide roller 38 has a hollow roller 44 rotatably supported by a shaft member 40, and a cloth member 46 is mounted on the hollow roller 44. The guide roller 38 is driven to rotate. It can also be configured as a driven roller. At this time, although not shown,
The outer surface of a solid roller member (roller core) connected to the rotary drive source is covered with a cloth member 46 woven in a cylindrical shape in a pressure-bonded state, and a ring-shaped member is provided at both ends of the drive roller while avoiding shaft portions. A groove may be formed, and the pressing members 50a and 50b may be pressed into or bonded to the ring-shaped groove.

[0043]

In the seat body guide mechanism according to the present invention,
The outer surface of the roller core is covered with a cylindrically woven cloth member in a pressure-bonded state, so that there is no joint in the cloth member, and the cloth member and the roller core are bonded with an adhesive tape or the like. No need to do. This prevents the sheet from being damaged, and effectively improves the workability of assembling the guide roller.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration explanatory view of an image information reading apparatus in which a sheet guide mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention is incorporated.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the sheet body guide mechanism.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory sectional view of the sheet guide mechanism.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of the sheet body guide mechanism during scanning of the image information reading device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Image information reading apparatus 12 ... Device main body 14 ... Cassette 16 ... Cassette loading part 18 ... Reading part 20 ... Erasing part 21 ... Sheet body guide mechanism 30 ... Reciprocating conveyance system 32, 36a, 36b ... Roller pair 38 ... Guide roller 40 ... Shaft members 42a, 42b ...
Bearing 44: Hollow roller 46: Cloth member 48a, 48b: End face 50a, 50b ...
Pressing member 60 ... Sub-scanning transport mechanism 62 ... Laser beam irradiation mechanism 64 ... Reading mechanism

Claims (3)

[Claims] The present invention further comprises a guide roller for guiding a conveyed sheet, wherein the guide roller is woven in a cylindrical shape with a roller core material, and is clothed on the outer peripheral surface of the roller core material in a pressed state. A sheet guide mechanism comprising: a member; 2. The sheet member guide mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said holding member is attached to a shaft end of said roller core so as to house and fix an end surface of said cloth member on a shaft end side of said roller core. A sheet body guide mechanism comprising: 3. The sheet guide mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the roller core is a hollow roller, and the hollow roller is rotatably supported by a shaft member via a bearing. Sheet guide mechanism.